how to be triflin', part 1.

I wore this shirt to school today. David got it for me for Christmas and we both thought it was pretty funny.

It was interesting seeing the reaction of the teachers. There were a few that gave me disproving looks or didn't quite get it. Others thought it was hilarious, a good example of stuff we teach (Shakespeare) being put into a modern context and language the kids would understand. My students LOVED it. They all asked to read it (sometimes my ID badge and pens were in the way) and they chuckled, giggled and asked where I got it. It cheered me up after getting a full page and a half note on how my 5th bell (and ONLY my 5th bell) treated the sub yesterday while I was at COMP. Well, okay, it was the shirt and the fact that it was Friday, a student in Shaw's Study Hall in my room told me that he's never heard a bad thing about me (and how exactly did I pull that off?!) and my 4th bell kicked some literary bootay during group work today and behaved!!(a new concept for them, believe me). One student that I have in 4th bell walked past my 8th bell and yelled "Shakespeare GOT to get paid, SON!!" when he noticed he wouldn't be interrupting anything. It helped my day end on a good note, despite having to teach grammar during the last block of the day on a Friday during the last stretch of first semester (if you ever wanted instructions on how to slowly drive yourself crazy, there you go...).
You might be asking yourself: Did he open the door during instruction to yell? *gasp* No, good friend, he did not. My door was open to let in some breeze because our A/C in the school is still broke as hell. This week's been in the 70s, which means we've all been sweating like whores in church and the whole school smells like the inside of a gym locker. Having the door open sucks because the kids get distracted by dumbass children in the hallway. For example, my 8th bell got to hear one kid declare "YO, I GOT TO FIND SOMEONE TO SUCK MY [you can assume the rest]". If our door had been closed, we wouldn't have had to hear that wonderful declaration. Thanks, child, for showing off your ignorance and complete lack of understanding of school and how to act in it. But, the way this school year has gone so far, a closed door wouldn't have stopped him. Even when my door is closed, I've had students push it open, yell into it and run away or push it open, turn off the lights and run away and many, many other annoyances that define the slang term "triflin'". They are seriously enjoying the fact that we can no longer lock their sorry behinds out.

Also, last year I only had one nickname (Pushlord. Thanks, Tim). This year, I have been upgraded to having more than one. So far, I've gotten Big Push (Shanice), Mzzz P (Jess), and Ms. Punchy (Devon). I think I like Big Push the best, mostly because Shanice says it Big PUSH! and then slaps me on the back or grabs my shoulder. She's got the Playful-Uncle-hitting-your-back/shoulder thing down, let me tell you.

I am making a conscious effort to be more positive. My major positive forces from last year, Chandra and Jerilyn, were both downstairs for the first part of the year. Jerilyn is now upstairs, but she's taking over another teacher's position, so she's been busy. I think this has definitely affected how I've perceived my classes and students because I'm surrounded by a lot more negative thinking AND I've put myself in a position to try and help a new teacher (who was put in the bad situation of teacher 4 sections of repeater English 9 classes with a co-teacher whose personality can be off-putting and usually conflicts with those around her). I've had to rely a lot more on myself to be positive and have enough positive energy to go around. Whew.

I cannot wait for second semester. Poetry, Julius Caesar (yes, like a fool, I am looking forward to it again), and Lord of the Flies (!!! and only that book, we're not doing lit. circles at the end of the year) for my 10th graders. And for my 11th graders, we start off with watching that Grizzly Man documentary to transition from Romanticism (what we're doing now) to Realism (what we do next), Their Eyes Were Watching God, drama (I have my choices of Fences, The Crucible, A Raisin in the Sun or Death of a Salesman. I'll probably try and find a way to teach the first three), and lots of really good literature that doesn't involve Puritans or English that has to be translated to teenagers. Hallelujah!